Humboldt: Log truck rolls over, spills diesel near Willow Creek

A logging truck rolled over on State Route 96 near Willow Creek this morning, blocking the road and spilling about 50 gallons of diesel fuel onto the shoulder, the California Highway Patrol reports.

As of 2 p.m. this afternoon, CHP Officer Will O'Diear said the truck had been cleared, but diesel was still being removed from the roadway and traffic was being escorted around the spill. The accident occurred on State Route 96, three miles north of State Route 299, O'Diear said.

Just before 10 a.m., O'Diear said the driver was hauling logs southbound on State Route 96, and entered a curve too quickly, rolling the rig onto its left side. O'Diear said logs toppled out, and ended up next to the Trinity River.

The truck originally blocked both lanes, but traffic was able to pass on the shoulder. O'Diear said the driver was not wearing a seatbelt, and was bleeding from his ear but refused medical treatment or transportation to a hospital.

The diesel spilled onto the gravel shoulder on the side of the road opposite the river, O'Diear said, and a construction company was continuing to excavate the soil in the shoulder to remove the diesel.